12 Meatball Recipes That Aren’t Spaghetti, Because You’re Sick Of Red Sauce

Meatball subs are similar to spaghetti and meatballs obviously, but if you just want a little bit of a change-up, they’re the perfect alternative. Simply LaKita’s recipe will teach you how to make delicious, saucy meatball subs from frozen meatballs in the Crock-Pot, so there’s next to no effort required. Hallelujah.

All The Healthy Things’ buffalo chicken meatballs are exactly the kind of unexpected weeknight dinner that makes me perk up a little instead of feeling like “ugh, spaghetti again?” You could eat this like an app with homemade bleu cheese dressing, carrots, and celery, or pop them into a wrap.

This Budget Bytes recipe will teach you how to make juicy pork meatballs, a homemade dipping sauce full of flavor, and vermicelli noodles, if you’ve never tried cooking them before. Served with an array of fresh, crunchy veggies, this is a light but satisfying meal that’ll really break up your usual dinner rotation.

Still meatballs, still pasta, just a little something different — that’s A Sweet Thyme’s chicken marsala meatballs recipe. This is another 30-minute dinner you could throw into your weeknight rotation to get out of whatever rut you’re in.

I love Indian food but am always a little intimidated to try making it at home. Averie Cooks’ recipe for butter chicken meatballs seems like an accessible way to try, with the added bonus that I can set a few meatballs aside for my sauce-averse 5-year-old.

Slow cooker recipes are so clutch, and this turkey meatball soup from Foodie Crush is perfect for getting in lots of veggies and beans (and clearing out your produce drawer). Meatballs can sometimes be a little dry, but because these sit in the Crock-Pot on low for four hours in all that broth, I bet they’re incredibly tender.

Sauce aversion and all, I could actually see my son digging into Princess Pinky Girl’s teriyaki chicken meatballs. Because it’s a sticky-sweet sauce and there’s plenty of plain rice to lean on, this seems like a dish that’ll please even the pickiest of kids (and their parents).

Marry me chicken is a viral recipe from a few years back, involving a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce and chicken cooked just right in the skillet. This meatball version from Family Fresh Meals is the same concept in a different font, perfect for when meatballs are on the menu but you are simply not in the mood for spaghetti.

All The Healthy Things’ spicy vindaloo meatballs is a 30-minute weeknight dinner you have to try. The meatballs are homemade, but the sauce and rice provide some time-saving shortcuts (and honestly, I think you could get away with using frozen meatballs here too if you wanted — they just won’t have the same flavor).

Princess Pinky Girl’s Swedish meatball bake feels reminiscent of Hamburger Helper in the best way. Your whole family will enjoy the pan-fried meatballs and creamy sauce, all baked to ooey-gooey perfection. It takes its sweet time in the oven and setting afterward, so this is more of a weekend dinner option.

Sheet pan meals are one of my favorite kinds of recipes, because then I’m not having to make three separate items to create a main and sides. Budget Bytes’ recipe yields a big batch of flavorful meatballs, roasted potatoes, and tender kale (plus, she says you can just replace the meatballs with sausage if you’re short on time or energy).

French onion anything is automatically 10 times better than the original. Foodie Crush’s French onion meatballs and orzo give you the same satisfying pasta-and-meatball combo your brain craves, but with all the cheesy, onion-y goodness you normally don’t get to enjoy at home.